We’ve been having a bit of healthy snack time fatigue around our house, so we decided to whip up a new snack that would satisfy our need to crunch, is healthy, and is affordable. We’ve tried store-bought brands of kale chips before, some of which are truly delicious, but they are often too expensive to be an everyday purchase ($7.00 for a bag of dried kale - no thanks!). Kale is a Vitamin A and C powerhouse, and it is relatively easy to find at most markets. Here are my family’s recipes for the more traditional, "cheesy" kale chips as well as an Asian-inspired version.

Traditional “Cheesy” Kale Chips

1 bunch kale

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp dried herbs, such as basil

Wash & Mix

Wash your kale well, then break into pieces (I like to make them slightly larger than bite-sized so that they don’t crumble when being stored). In a large bowl mix kale pieces, olive oil, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar and herbs. Massage everything together for several minutes (this is a great messy job for kids to help with!). Make sure all of the pieces are coated well. Add an additional teaspoon or two of olive oil if the kale seems especially dry (since a “bunch” can vary greatly in size).

Dehydrate

Spread kale pieces onto dehydrator trays. You will need about two trays per bunch of kale. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 4-5 hours, until crisp and dry. Cool and store in an airtight container. Try to stop yourself from eating all of them in one sitting!